People often want to be able to discern the voice of God in their lives, but many times their efforts seem to fall flat.
Maybe you’re the same way.
You feel something tugging at you day after day, but you’re not sure if it’s really God.
What is Discernment?
Discernment in the Christian sense is being able to discern whether or not something is of God. Sounds simple enough, but it’s far more complicated than that.
When discovering my spiritual gifts, I learned I was gifted in the area of discernment, which means I’m usually able to see very quickly if something aligns with the Truth or not.
While it’s a gift of mine, I believe it’s a skill that can be developed by all Christ followers. (Please realize when I use the term “gift” I do so in a manner of stewardship, not narcissism.)
A friend recently asked how I discern God’s voice. I thought the answers might be helpful for you as well.
With that in mind, here’s a list of the things I do along with what I think will help you discern God’s voice.
1. Read the Bible.
I'm not trying to be coy here, just stating the obvious. If we are going to discern God’s voice, we have to go where He speaks, and that is in the Bible. I read in whatever book I happen to be in for 15 minutes Monday through Friday, and then pray over it along with other prayer requests for 15-20 minutes after reading.
2. Test everything in your life.
This might sound over the top, but I would argue the Bible says otherwise. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 says “Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil” (emphasis mine). I take this seriously. We tend to think of things as harmless, but that’s rarely the case. It’s like how media is always biased. Everything you consume has a spiritual bias. Be aware of the leanings of anything you choose to “consume” or absorb. Don’t take this to mean legalism; that’s certainly not the intention.
3. Spend time in thought.
This is the easiest thing to overlook. Spending quiet time doing nothing but thinking is hard to do. Walking might help. However you do it, give your mind time to unwind and turn over thoughts. I would, however, be intentional with the time. Don’t simply let your mind wander; let it wander down a certain path. Go into the quiet time with something on your mind and carry on a conversation with God to see what He would have you discern from it.
4. Always use God’s will as the measuring stick.
This is very important. We like to get confused and think God is telling us so many things, when quite frankly, He isn’t. The easiest way I’ve found to do this is by comparing your situation or choice to God’s will for your life. For example, my wife was recently offered a job. It would have been a great fit for her. The only problem was she had quit her job teaching to answer the call of motherhood and build the kind of family we desire. When we looked at what the position would demand, it was clear it would take too much time away from our family and not allow us to build the kind of family God has called us to. So she didn’t take the job. In that situation, taking the job, as good as it sounded, was not in the will of God for my wife at that time. Perhaps later, who knows. It’s important never to confuse coincidence with fate.
5. Listen.
Everything on the list will fail you if you don’t listen. Remember that God doesn’t usually speak through thunder or fire. The Bible says He spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper. To hear a gentle whisper, we have to be listening intently.
What do you do to discern the voice of God?
CC Image • the trial on Flickr